Nsanje returning officer arrested for electoral fraud

Police on Thursday arrested a Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) constituency returning officer in Nsanje for changing results in in favour of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)

The law enforcers identified the MEC official as 59-year-old Fred Thomas who was constituency returning officer for Mpatsa tally centre in Nsanje Central constituency.

Thomas: arrested

He was apprehended by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters led by its official Abida Mia who were told that Thomas was keeping result sheets.

“MCP members had information that the suspect was forging the result figures and when searched, he was found with MEC materials such as presidential, parliamentary and councillor result sheets,” police said.

Mia shared videos on social media showing her attempts to get a police report which she said wanted to present to MEC in order to suspend results for the area.

Thomas, the suspect, hails from Baibulo village in chief Malemia’s area in Nsanje and works as a primary education advisor in the office of the district education manager.

The arrest followed another one in Lilongwe where a presiding officer in Lilongwe City Centre constituency, Charles Ngalande, was found keeping result sheets for Chimutu centre at his home.